


Axl Rose and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

by WandaHart



Category: Guns N' Roses
Genre: Axl has a fear of snakes, First Meetings, M/M, Mutual Pining, Poor Axl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22326523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WandaHart/pseuds/WandaHart
Summary: Axl suffers through a bad day, but maybe, just maybe, it's all worth it in the end.
Relationships: Axl Rose/Slash | Saul Hudson, Duff McKagan/Izzy Stradlin
Comments: 17
Kudos: 66





	Axl Rose and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

**Author's Note:**

> Writing this story was pretty tough for me since I'm still very new to writing. Regardless, I hope you enjoy and thanks, as always, for reading! Feel free to leave feedback/comments. It really helps me out.

It all started when Axl awoke from his much-needed sleep to the smell of something burning. He wiped his bleary eyes in confusion and let out a groan of exhaustion. The sunlight streaking into the room appeared blinding to him and he shut his eyes again in an attempt to go back to sleep. Then he remembered that the apartment may very well be on fire. His eyes shot open and he practically fell out of bed now fully conscious and alarmed to say the least.

Crawling up from his mattress on the floor, he smacked his head against his small wardrobe with a sickening _thunk_. He hissed in pain and reached for the back of his head to check for blood. He looked at his hand. No blood. Massaging his tender scalp, he finally stood up fully from the floor. He fumbled out of the bedroom and bounded down the hall, following the putrid smell of smoke, and turned to see Izzy in the kitchen dunking a frying pan under the running faucet.

“What the hell are you doing?” Axl demanded taking in the mess of the kitchen. Dirty bowls and utensils cluttered the counter and from them dripped an unidentified beige goop on to the counters and floor. Practically every cabinet had been left opened and a jug of milk spilled on to the laminate below the fridge. Thankfully, the smoke had mostly cleared out through the windows Izzy had opened in the living room. At least he was smart enough to do that. Only the stench of the burnt fumes remained.

If Axl wasn’t so pissed and confused and tired he would have laughed at the way his best friend jumped and swiveled around, eyes comically widened, to face him. Izzy stared at him like Axl had grown two heads or like _he_ was the one who had nearly lit the kitchen on fire. In the years Axl had known Izzy, Axl had come to interpret this odd behavior as his poor attempt to hide something. He had shown similar behavior last week when Axl had questioned him about his obvious infatuation with Duff. Axl stared back awaiting a response with his arms crossed.

Finally, the silence was broken. “I was trying to make pancakes” Izzy said like that was a perfectly reasonable response to the disastrous state of the kitchen. He turned back around to face the sink. Axl blinked at him and opened his mouth to question him further.

Unfortunately, before Axl was able to grill him about just why he was making pancakes and how that resulted in this mess, Izzy was speaking once again. “Shit, man,” he swore, glancing at the clock lit up on the microwave. “I have to be at work by ten today.”

And with that the gypsy fucker was racing out the door, yelling a quick “bye” to Axl as he left.

Axl stared at the door his roommate and best friend had just slammed shut, trying to process what had just happened. It wasn’t until he turned back towards the kitchen that he remembered its awful state and groaned.

“Oh, fuck me.”

Axl didn’t want to be cleaning up the kitchen, far from it, but he knew that if he left it up to Izzy it wouldn’t get done for days (maybe even weeks) and when it _was_ finally done, Izzy would do a shit job. The bottom line was Axl would be the one who ended up cleaning it all anyways. So, he rationalized he may as well get it done now. 

The frying pan revealed to be the hardest part, the so-called pancake batter had burned and hardened to the pan completely. Axl had to practically scrape the black remnants off with his fingernails.

After nearly a half hour of ruthless scrubbing, Axl called it quits and moved on to the batter-splattered countertops. He really didn’t mind having to clean up the apartment every once in a while. Of course, when Izzy’s mess needed cleaning he bitched and complained over it but Izzy practically paid their entire rent so it probably evened out, not that Axl would ever tell Izzy that. No, he was going to hold this one over Izzy’s head for a while. Izzy seriously owed him after this. I mean, it looked like a motherfuckin’ bomb had gone off in their kitchen.

Axl hummed a little tune as he thought about all this and got busy wiping down the counters. Axl really was grateful for Izzy and the money he brought in. The café Izzy worked at paid more than minimum wage and usually granted them the comfort of being able to buy grocery’s most weeks. Izzy’s other job, selling what Izzy claimed was only weed, made up for what was missing in the monthly rent. Usually more than Izzy’s fair share.

Axl worked as a bus-boy, a job he barely was able to hold down due to his “issues with authority”, whatever that meant. It was shitty enough being paid practically nothing for cleaning up dirty tables, but the real problem Axl had with his job was with his boss Dennis. Dennis was a mousy-looking guy with wire-rimmed glasses that seemed to always be fixed toward Axl and his mistakes. Axl was constantly being reprimanded at work whether it be for his bad attitude or tardiness.

“Shit! Fuck! Fucking fuck shit!” All this thinking about work reminded him of his schedule for the week. Today was a Wednesday and on Wednesday’s he worked lunch. Which meant on Wednesdays he had to be at work earlier. Glancing at the clock confirmed his fears. Yep, he was going to be late. Again.

Cursing up a storm, Axl rushed back to his room and scrambled to throw on his work clothes. He thought back to the last conversation he’d had with his boss. The one where he had practically begged the man to give him another chance at proving his worth. Yeah, he was definitely getting fired today.  
Running out the door, Axl was already preparing his excuses. _Dennis, please just give me another shot. My pet cat died last night and HOLY MOTHER OF FUCK-_

Tears of pain welled in Axl’s eyes as he slammed the heavy front door on his finger in his attempt to shut it quickly. He let out a pitiful whimper and looked around to make sure no one had witnessed this somewhat embarrassing moment of stupidity. Pulling his finger out from the crack in the door, Axl immediately brought the throbbing digit up to his face for close examination.

His pointer finger was turning an angry shade of red and appeared to already be swelling. Axl hesitantly curled his hand into a loose fist to test the function of the joints. It hurt like a bitch, but he could still bend it. So, hopefully it wasn’t broken, just bruised. 

Still short on time, he ignored the aching pain to the best of his ability and ran down the apartment steps and down the street headed towards the restaurant. He mumbled apologies as he sprinted between and dodged past passersby. _God, was the sidewalk always this crowded?_

Huffing and puffing, Axl started to slow down as his place of work came into view. He smoothed back his hair and crossed his uninjured fingers for the best. Of course, with the day he was having so far, this wish didn’t seem likely to come true.

Sure enough, as Axl crossed the threshold his asshole boss, Dennis, started going off at him. “Rose, this is strike three. I already told you you’re on thin ice. Why the hell are you so late?”

With the morning Axl had already had, his temper was even harder to keep in check. “Look Dennis, I’m sorry alright? It won’t happen again.” He brushed past his boss, heading to the back room to get his apron.

“Damn right it won’t. You’re fired.”

Axl swiveled around on his heel. “What?”

“You heard me,” Dennis said with a smug smile. Axl wanted to kick his teeth in. “Get out, Rose.”

Axl swallowed back expletives as he stormed out of the restaurant. He was shaking with rage. Great, another job gone. How was he going to explain this to Izzy? _Fuck Izzy_ , he thought bitterly. _It’s his fault anyways. Stupid motherfucking pancakes._ He trudged down the sidewalk for a couple minutes, no destination in mind.

Axl didn’t have anywhere to go now that his job was gone. He could go back to the apartment, but that small hellhole always made him stressed. He felt tense and confined in there like an animal trapped in a cage. He didn’t have very many options though. Continuing down the pavement, he stopped at a payphone. He shoved two quarters in the machine and dialed the number Duff had given him a few weeks ago.

Duff was probably the only person besides Izzy that Axl could call a friend in L.A. Not that Axl had any friends elsewhere. Axl and Izzy had met Duff at some shitty club show they had all attended some number of months back. Duff’s nervous and awkward demeanor had initially annoyed Axl, but his opinion of the boy changed once Duff started drinking. And, _boy_ , could that dude drink. Since then, the pair had hung out with Duff a few more times and even had him around the apartment once or twice. Axl was finding that he was quite fond of the guy. 

He’d never really hung out with Duff without Izzy though. It’s not that Axl was shy. It was just that the only way he knew how to act like a friend was when he was with Izzy. Would he be able to do the same with Duff? 

On the third ring, Duff answered the call with a tired-sounding “hello?”

Axl wasn’t quite sure why but he suddenly felt awkward calling Duff. What was he even calling him for? To complain about his bad day? For a distraction? Axl wasn’t sure. He bit his lip.

“Um, hey Duff. This is Axl. Axl Rose.”

“Oh, hey Axl. What’s up?”

Axl twisted the phone cord around his fingers as he struggled to find words. “Um, not much. Listen, do you wanna hang out or something?”

A pause. “Right now?”

Axl closed his eyes, starting to become frustrated. Conversations weren’t his strong suit. “Yes. Right now, Duff.”

“Yeah, okay. Um, what did you have in mind? We could go somewhere? I don’t have a car but-”

Axl cut him off with a quick “I don’t have any money”, shutting the idea down. It wasn’t a complete lie, Axl really was broke, but it was more of an excuse to suggest something more lowkey. Axl was already fed up with the day he was having. He didn’t want to make it worse by having to go out and put up with the dumb crowds of L.A.

Thankfully Duff seemed to take the hint because his next suggestion was music to Axl’s ears. “That’s okay. You can come over to my place if you want. I don’t mind sharing my stash.”

Axl quickly agreed, got Duff’s address, and began his trek to the bus stop a few blocks away. The city bus was not something Axl liked riding on. It was crowded and smelled like smog. He preferred taking Izzy’s car if they had anywhere to go out of walking distance. Unfortunately, Izzy had totaled the car two weeks ago in what he called “an unfortunate accident that was not my fault get off my back Axl I was not that drunk”.

So, the bus would have to do for now. Axl tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the bus and contemplated the day he had suffered so far. His finger still hurt when he flexed it and if he pressed the back of his head, he could feel a bump forming where he had hit it. Getting fired was really the icing on the cake though. Sure, he was super pissed at all the other inconveniences, but that was all they were. Inconveniences. Getting fired was going to cause a hell of a lot more problems for him. The rent was due in four days and his last paycheck wouldn’t even cover a third of it. He knew Izzy would pull some strings and find a way for them to be okay, but he still felt guilty. This was his third job in four months, and he was starting to feel like something was wrong with _him_ and not his employers.

His self-loathing was cut short by the sputtering bus appearing and screeching to a halt in front of him. The doors whished open and Axl boarded, taking a seat in the very back. Duff’s stop was a little while away, so he closed his eyes and let his mind wander.

Axl didn’t open his eyes again until a noisy group of teenage girls clambered onto the bus and moved towards the back where he was seated. He hadn’t intended on dozing off, but it seemed he had. Gazing out the window, Axl sighed in annoyance. He had missed his stop. Could this day get any worse?

He was only a couple blocks from Duff’s neighborhood, so walking wasn’t too much of a problem. He got off on the next stop and trudged along the cracked sidewalk, following the street signs until he reached some dingy-looking apartment complexes. Repeating the address Duff gave him over and over again to himself, Axl walked through the area looking for the correct building. The apartments seemed a bit dodgy but Axl was thankfully able to find the right one with ease.  
He banged on the door a couple of times and heard Duff holler “I’ll get it!” shortly after. He listened to footsteps race towards the door. Duff pulled the door open and greeted Axl with a bright smile.

“Hey Axl,” Duff said. He peered over Axl’s shoulder. “Uh, is Izzy with you?”

“No,” Axl answered. He walked past Duff into the small apartment. His and Izzy’s place seemed bigger, but Duff’s apartment had proper furniture in it. Well, proper compared to Axl and Izzy’s. A small green sofa sat in the living room and a television sat on the floor in the corner. He looked back at Duff who had trailed in behind him. “He’s at work.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, that makes sense. I figured, y’know, but I wasn’t sure when you called and I forgot to ask so I just didn’t know for sure,” Duff babbled, fidgeting with his jacket sleeves. “But I’m glad you’re here,” he finished suddenly seeming flustered because of his ramblings.

“Right.” Axl chose to ignore Duff’s awkwardness and settled down on the couch instead. Duff continued to stand in the middle of the room making Axl feel uneasy. _Christ, the whole afternoon better not be like this._ “You mentioned your stash?”

This seemed to snap Duff out of his trance. He stood up a little straighter and smiled at Axl. “Oh, Yeah! Hold on a sec.” 

Axl watched as Duff retreated further into the apartment and sighed. Now that he was sitting down again, his exhaustion really seemed to sink in. He hoped that Duff wouldn’t really want to talk much. Duff was nice enough, but he was more social than Axl. Axl would rather just chill out on the couch smoking pot and watching TV.

Duff’s gangly form returned quickly with a familiar looking box in his hands. He set it down in his lap as he took a seat next to Axl on the couch. Upon closer inspection, Axl could tell why the box looked so familiar to him. 

“Is that Izzy’s?” The questioned seemed innocent enough to Axl, but Duff’s reaction made it seem anything but.

Duff’s cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink and he refused to meet Axl’s gaze. “Oh, this? Yeah, um, Izzy gave it to me last time I was at your house.” He turned the box around carefully in his hands, smiling softly.

Axl didn’t remember that happening, but he also didn’t remember much of the night Duff was referring to. The only thing he actually could clearly remember was waking up with a raging hangover the morning after. He studied Duff more closely. It was just a wooden box. Izzy probably got it for five bucks somewhere. Why was Duff getting all shy about it? He furrowed his brows and shrugged at the blonde. “Okay.”

Duff let out a relieved laugh, which only confused Axl more, and opened the box. He pulled out some papers and began expertly rolling a joint. When he was done, he stuck it in his mouth and lit it using the match that he produced from his jacket pocket. He took a hit and passed it over to Axl.

They continued that way for a while, passing the joint back and forth in comfortable silence. Sure enough though, within minutes Duff turned to Axl with a question.  
“So, why’d you want to hang out today?”

Axl shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Just had a bad day I guess.” He still wasn’t super comfortable talking to Duff about anything personal, but Duff was looking at him like he wanted Axl to continue. “I got fired.”

Axl wasn’t expecting to get much of a reaction out of him but Duff reached out and patted Axl’s shoulder comfortingly. “That really sucks, Axl. I’m sorry,” he said. “At least now you won’t have to deal with your boss anymore, right?”

Axl nodded along then paused. “How do you know about Dennis?”

Duff looked just as confused as him. “Dennis?”

“My boss, idiot.”

Duff chose to ignore Axl calling him an idiot. He was nice like that. “Izzy told me,” He answered. He took another hit off the joint. He looked away from Axl scrutinizing gaze.

Axl frowned. Duff was clearly a lot closer with Izzy than Axl originally thought. Izzy was definitely less of a dick than Axl, but Duff seemed to like Izzy a whole lot more. Axl slowly began to connect the dots. The dots being Duff’s reddened face and constant mentions of Izzy. “Oh my god! You want to fuck Izzy!”

Duff clamped his hand over Axl’s mouth hurriedly. He looked around the room then back to the obnoxious redhead. “Shut up! I don’t want to fuck him! I just want- stop looking at me like that!”

Axl couldn’t help but grin at Duff. Oh lord, this was golden. Duff really did like Izzy and Axl had guessed that Izzy had fallen for their new friend quite a while ago. Axl opened his mouth to start to speak again, but Duff interrupted him.

“Axl, don’t move.” Duff’s demeanor shifted to one of unease and worry.

Axl’s smile disappeared. He furrowed his brow. “What?”

I’m gonna go get Slash okay? I’ll be right back.” Duff stood up and ran down the hall.

Axl turned his head to watch Duff’s retreating figure and came face to face with his worst nightmare. _Holy shit. Holy mother of god._ A large snake stretched across the top of the couch, slithering straight towards him. Axl bit back a scream as the creature started to climb onto his body and down his chest. The snake lifted its head to Axl’s face and flicked its tongue out against his neck. Axl shut his eyes in anticipation for the inevitable attack. _Oh god, anything but snakes._ He’d rather slam a door on all ten of his fingers than have to deal with a fucking snake.

It felt like hours before Duff returned. “Hey Axl, it’s okay. He’ll get it off.” Duff sounded more apologetic than frightened. Was Duff not terrified that this beast from hell was crawling all over him?

Axl felt the presence of another person approach him. He kept his eyes closed. A gentle voice spoke as he felt hands reach for the snake around his shoulder. “It’s okay, she won’t hurt you. My name’s Slash by the way.” The voice soothed Axl’s nerves and he let out the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. Carefully, the weight was lifted off of his shoulders and he opened his eyes.

When he did, he found himself looking into the deep brown eyes of Duff’s apparent roommate and _holy shit._ That beautiful voice Axl had heard just a few moments earlier belonged to an even more beautiful man. Slash, as he had identified himself as, had a gorgeous face which was surrounded by a halo of long black curls. His smooth tan skin was void of any imperfections and almost seemed to glow. He looked like an angel. Axl had to resist the urge to reach out and touch him. He probably would have if Slash hadn’t been holding a five-foot boa constrictor. 

Slash was crouched down in front of Axl and offering him a shy smile. “I’m sorry about that. Bonnie’s a pretty good escape artist, but she won’t hurt you. She doesn’t bite.” He patted the snake fondly on the head.

It took a moment for Axl to realize that Slash was talking to him. He had been too distracted studying the perfect slope of Slash’s nose. “Oh, well, I wouldn’t mind,” he said softly.

Once the meaning of the words registered in his mind, Axl immediately wished the ground would open up and swallow him. _Did he really just say that? God, he was such a fucking idiot._ He felt the blood rush to his face. This was it. This really was the worst day ever.

Slash grinned at the blushing boy and rose to his feet. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said with a smirk and winked at Axl before exiting the room with his snake.  
Axl definitely didn’t stare at Slash’s ass as the boy walked away from him and he definitely didn’t think about Slash’s teeth on his neck either.  
Axl turned his attention back to Duff. The blonde bastard sported a knowing grin. “Well, well, well-,”

“Don’t say another word or I’ll tell Izzy that you have a stupid little girl crush on him.”

Duff’s mouth snapped shut as Axl got up and sashayed out of the apartment without so much as a goodbye. 

On his walk to the next bus stop, Axl grinned to himself as he thought about Slash and his obvious flirtations. Maybe today wasn’t so bad after all.


End file.
